Wonder – 4K UHD Blu-ray Movie Review

The movie “Wonder” is based on a bestselling novel by the same name. It’s about a fifth grader named August Pullman whose parents each possess a recessive gene that, when combined at inception, led him to be born having structural issues with his face. He subsequently underwent numerous surgeries to repair his face which included work to help him see, breathe, and hear better. This work improved his outward appearance somewhat but he still looks very different from most kids.

Up until this time he has been home schooled by his mother (Julia Roberts) but now he will be going to a regular school starting with fifth grade. His family, his new classmates, and the larger community all struggle to find their compassion and acceptance but in the end Auggie becomes the most unlikely of heroes.

I probably don’t need to tell you that this is a movie with a sad undertone that turns into a major feel good experience at the end. Though I wasn’t exactly ga ga over the movie the way I had predicted, it was still a very good story that had me engaged emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually throughout. All the characters are three-dimensional just like in real life. And of course with Owen Wilson as the dad and Julia Roberts as the mother, the acting chops were out in full measure which just furthered the overall exprience. This is one movie that will stay with me as I reminisce about the whole experience of enjoying my screening of it. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who enjoys a good drama that makes you feel good.

Technical

This movie is generally bright and colorful and the 4K transfer does a commendable job rendering much of the color and the pop. But I am deducting half a star because many of the long shots were plagued with “detail obscura”. I did some poking around on the internet and found that this movie was reportedly mastered at 2K and then the 4K transfer was upconverted. If this is indeed the case, then it would explain the lackluster detail in the long shots. (Closeups of actors’ faces were pristine looking, by the way.)

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This is of course a very pedestrian movie and the audio was acceptable for a “talkie”. I am surprised that it wasn’t done in Dolby Atmos as I beleive the theatrical release was in the higher standard. Dialog was clear and understandable wuth the voice of the school principal being particularly noteworthy. The music was quite good but the presentation was largely flat and lacking appropriate dynamic shadings.

Extras

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This package contains two discs – the 4K Unltra HD disc and a Blu-ray disc. Both discs have a full suite of special features and the case includes a digital code inside. The on-disc extras are plentiful and quite entertaining: A (Com)passion Project, Family Matters, A Technical Wonder, A Note of Kindness, We All Deserve a Standing Ovation at Least Once in Our Lives, A Child’s Sense of Wonder Featurette, What A Wonderful World Commentary, Music Video “Brand New Eyes”, Wonder Soundtrack Behind-the-Scenes Featurette, and Trailers.

Jim Clements has been an audio nut since childhood where you could find him underfoot at his local high end store on most weekends. (This particular shop was within walking distance of Jim's home, much to the chagrin of the owner and his staff.) Jim's audio journey started early because he loved great music of all kinds. And he still does. Like most audiophiles, Jim was not particularly inspired by a vast majority of the audio systems he encountered. So his quest grew through his efforts to recreate a live listening experience in the home. This has proven to be a never ending quest. One major offshoot of all this is that Jim has become something of a cinema enthusiast as well. So now he's working on the video and surround sound conundrums too. Since perfect recreation of sound and video is a goal to be pursued but never attained, Jim derives his pleasure from the journey itself. He wants to help our readers on their own personal quests by reviewing products thoroughly and objectively. On a personal note, Jim is a Professional Engineer, licensed in California and Texas. He currently has his own engineering practice in San Antonio, Texas. Jim is also part owner of a small chain of craft beer growler stations in South Texas.

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